Morning session: 8.55am - 12.00 noon for Years 1, 2, 3 and 4

8.55 a.m. - 11.50 a.m. for Reception

Afternoon session: 1.10pm - 3.30pm for Years 3 & 4

1.30pm - 3.30pm for Years 1 & 2 1.20pm - 3.20pm for Reception

Registration and Assembly 20 minutes daily

Playtimes 30 minutes each day for Reception and Years 1 & 2.

Playtimes 25 minutes each day for Years 3 & 4.

Unless a special arrangement has been made children should not arrive at school before 8.45am. The gates are opened at 8.45am and shut again at 9.00am. After this time please use the main entrance. This is to ensure the site is secure whilst the children are in school.

Unless the weather is poor we expect the children to play in the playground until the whistle is sounded and you are welcome to wait with them. At the end of the afternoon parents are asked to wait at the side of the playground and to keep young children with them. KS1 children are brought to the playground by their class teachers and remain with her until we are sure that the person collecting him/her has arrived. If your child is to walk home unaccompanied we would appreciate it if you would inform us. Children who travel on the school bus meet in the school hall and are then escorted to the bus. It would be appreciated if you would inform us if your child is not travelling by bus on any occasion. Whilst we do not have facilities for caring for children who are not collected at the correct time on a regular basis we will always make sure a child is cared for if you are unexpectedly delayed. A telephone call notifying us of any delay helps us to explain to your children and allay any concerns.

Absence

It is important that children attend school regularly and punctually. We have to record whether absences are authorised or not, so please help us by letting us know beforehand if your child has a medical appointment e.g. dentist, optician, clinic and asking permission in advance if your child will be absent for a special personal reason, e.g. attending a wedding. It would be appreciated if children were taken on holiday during the statutory school holiday time. Should it be unavoidable to take a child on holiday during term time this must not exceed two weeks in any twelve months (DfES Regulations).

When your child is away because of illness, please let us know by telephone, or in writing when the child returns. Unexplained absences are investigated by an Education Welfare Officer.

The school's absence return for 2005/2006 shows the following percentages of authorised and unauthorised absence:

4.4% of days missed due to authorised absences

0.2% of days missed due to unauthorised absences

Unauthorised absences are those for which the school has received no explanation or for any holidays taken without consent.

School Procedures Concerning Late Collection of Children

One of the expectations of this school is that the children are picked up on time at the end of the school day. This will ensure that children do not become frightened or anxious about the whereabouts of their parents/guardians.

If for any unavoidable reason you are unable to collect your child on time it is important that you contact the school and let us know as soon as possible. If you need to make alternative arrangements to have your child collected, again the school must be contacted and informed of the situation along with details of the person who is to collect your child, including their name and relationship to the child.

If parents are more than 15 minutes late and have not contacted the school to explain the situation, the school will take the following action:

• the school will attempt to contact the parent/guardian using the contact numbers listed in the child's records. It is therefore very important that you let us have any changes to your emergency telephone numbers if after 1 hour the child has not been collected and no contact with the parents/carers has been possible the local police will be contacted, stating that the child has been abandoned. In these circumstances Social Services could become involved and might wish to see the school records regarding late collection.a record will be kept of all children collected late. If this happens frequently further action may be taken - in the first instance by the school. If a child is persistently collected late from school, further advice will be sought from the Education Welfare Service and other relevant authorities.

Whilst the school will endeavour to be helpful and understanding in the case of any emergency it must be informed at the earliest opportunity. However it cannot be assumed that school staff are available to care for children at the end of the day and cannot be responsible for children after school hours.